I understand you haven’t been having wild parties at your house, as it happens to all of us from time to time:  the dreaded hole in the wall.  A rambunctious child and a broken door stop can quickly make a hole in the drywall the size of your doorknob.  The house settling can also crack it as well.  But how do you repair these issues?  Check out this video, which tells us how – from the smallest crack to a doorknob sized hole, it can be done!

Click here to see the video!
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It is universally accepted that the master suite and kitchen in any property are where sellers can get the most “bang for the buck” when making improvements.  These two areas are where buyers focus when making a purchase decision.  It is often said that for every $10 spent, you can get $8 or $9 of it back at the time of sale in these two rooms of the house.

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Since I was one of the few that stayed up until 1:30 am last night waiting to see the Space Shuttle take off but did not because of the rain, I thought I would do a blog post on roof shingles.  When it rains heavily, I know we’re happy to know there’s a good roof over our heads to keep us dry.  But what goes into a roof?  How do they know how long it will last?  Check out this video which explains a lot about roofing:

Click here to see the video!  Read the rest…

Yesterday we had a little bit of excitement here around my house. A city water main pipe had burst in our front yard. Within minutes, we had a few thousand gallons of water everywhere. I had ankle-deep water in one section of driveway and could not believe the deluge!

So, with that being said, today’s topic will be an homage to French Drains. While they are not designed to handle such loads as what mine were asked to do yesterday, they still provide help to those homeowners with too much water surrounding the structure. Luckily, I had the system in place, as it took enough water away from the low-lying areas to keep water from entering the house. It could very easily have happened, and would have in a blink of an eye. Read the rest…

I’m one that really enjoys DIY, or “Do it Yourself” projects around the home.  For instance, I’ve changed many a light fixture and painted many rooms in our home.  I get real satisfaction from seeing a job well done, and knowing I did it myself.  However, a $20 light fixture is dramatically different than attempting making decisions in regards to your largest financial asset without counsel.  That’s something I definitely would not recommend at all. Read the rest…

With all the talk of saving money and our environment, how many of us have actually completed an energy audit?  Local electric companies will provide on monthly bills a chart showing usage trends.  While that information is nice to know, where can you save on electric usage and cut your bills?  Read the rest…

What is National Night Out?

It’s America’s Night Out Against Crime!

The “26th Annual National Night Out” (NNO), a unique crime/drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 37 million people participated in National Night Out 2008. Read the rest…

With all of the talk of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure, it’s no wonder so many con artists have now figured out how to use this angle to prey upon those who are vulnerable.  Don’t become a victim to one of these “Foreclosure Rescue” scams.  If any organization finds you to help, it’s a scam.  Only those who need help will seek out assistance.  Federal agencies who assist homeowners NEVER seek them out. Read the rest…

A jewel on Chapin’s Lake Murray shores, the Timberlake Country Club welcomes you!  With breathtaking views of the lake, this Willard Byrd designed course has a par of 72.  Compared to some of Tom Fazio’s best designs, this 18 hole course was built in 1988 and has a brand new clubhouse, scheduled for completion in September 2009. Read the rest…

Everyone’s talking about the housing crisis being a near financial windfall for buyers these days. However, the question remains “Is it right for YOU?” While it could be the time to take advantage of a housing market that’s not nearly as high priced as it once was, it could be the wrong decision personally. I always advise clients that if their plans have them selling within three years of making the purchase, renting is a wiser choice. Read the rest…